


Below Freezing

by YukiSetsu



Series: 12 Days of (Lance) Whumpmas [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blizzards & Snowstorms, Cold Weather, Gen, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, and shiro, lance in a blanket burrito, save him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-15
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-15 00:15:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13019226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiSetsu/pseuds/YukiSetsu
Summary: The Blue Lion crash lands on a planet with extremely cold temperatures, leaving the team in a race against time to get Lance out alive. Shiro risks going down before the snowstorm subsides to get to Lance faster, but even he can only hold out for so long.





	Below Freezing

**Author's Note:**

> also inspired by [this post](http://breezy-cheezy.tumblr.com/post/159851732048/lance-cus-not-even-the-blue-lion-can-handle)! it was the first thing that came to mind when i saw the hypothermia prompt, so i wrote the story around that since i loved the picture ahhhh please go give the artist some love!
> 
> sidenote let’s just pretend that paladin armor does little against extreme cold for this story heh;;; not sure if that’s actually true or not but HERE WE ARE

When Allura mentioned the Castle picking up a Galra signal from an unexplored planet, the first thing that Shiro noticed was that it was... white. Completely.

“You sure it's this planet?” Hunk asked, not sounding all that convinced.

“This is the closest planet near the signal.” Allura responded firmly. “Although there seems to be a storm of ice crystals encompassing its entirety at the moment.”

Even through the comms, Shiro could practically feel Lance perk up. “Wait a minute, you mean _snow_? It's _snowing_? Dude, this planet is like the holy grail of winter festivities!”

“It's more of a snowstorm,” Shiro corrected. “We need to be careful before we try to track that signal down.”

“We might need to wait until it calms down before we enter. Looks pretty dangerous.” Pidge pointed out. She clicked her tongue thoughtfully. “There's not much information on this planet, but according to the cloud patterns, it should die down for a bit in around 15 dobashes.”

Shiro agreed, staring at the mass of white warily. Were there really Galra here? It didn't really seem like an inhabitable planet.

Blue crept a bit closer towards the planet, movements light and careful. Shiro knew Blue wouldn't do anything to endanger her pilot, and although Shiro didn't doubt Lance's piloting abilities, he still felt a pang of worry.

“Lance...” He said warningly.

Lance hummed, acknowledging but still calm. “I know, bossman. Won't go any further th—“

The rest happened so quickly it made Shiro's eyes spin. Halfway through Lance's sentence, ice crystals had already built their way up the bottom of Blue's legs, and the next thing he knew, Blue descended into a free-fall towards the white planet below.

“Woah, Blue?!” Lance's voice had gone panicked, rightfully so. “Wh—“

They lost sight of Blue when she disappeared into the swirling mass of clouds, Lance's comm link cutting off at the same time. Shiro acted on instinct, ready to send Black in after them, only to just barely stop himself. He saw the other Lions jerk forward in the same way, Lance's name ringing in the comms.

“Don't get closer!” Shiro yelled, urgently relieved when they all stopped in their tracks. “Your Lions will get affected, too.”

“We have to go after him!” Hunk shot back, distressed.

Shiro couldn't agree more, trying to pinpoint the area that Blue had fallen through. But it was nearly impossible to find once he'd taken his eyes off it once. He grimaced, hands tight on the controls.

“I'll go. You all stay here and wait until the storm calms down.”

Among the rise of dissent, Keith's voice was the loudest. “What? No, that's way too dangerous, Shiro!”

“We can't just wait here when Lance might be in trouble! And if that signal was true, there might be Galra down there that just saw one of the Lions falling from the sky!” Shiro already made up his mind. “It’s too dangerous if we all go at once. I'll find him and make sure he's alright. The rest can provide backup once the storm settles.”

The silence was heavy, but no one could argue. Shiro glanced back towards the planet. “Princess, do you still have a reading on the Blue Lion's location?”

“... I do.” Allura said, voice sick with worry. “But Shiro, you might not be able to reach him properly if the cold overrides your Lion. It would very well fall just like the Blue Lion did.”

Shiro already knew that, and honestly, he didn't really have a solid plan to counter it. “As long as I can maneuver Black close enough to where Lance fell, then I'll find a way to get to him.” He tapped a foot impatiently. They'd already spent too much time. “Please send me his location. If anything, I'll know that you guys will be on the way.”

Allura sighed, but Shiro saw his HUD light up with a target centered on a spot of the planet. “This is still very dangerous, Shiro. The armor can only do so much against extreme temperatures. Make sure Lance is alright, but keep yourself safe as well.”

Shiro nodded, grim. “Got it. Thanks.”

He pushed Black forward, focusing only on that small target as they dove down. It didn't take long for his vision to be flooded with pure white, but that wasn't what grabbed his attention. He could literally _hear_ the ice crystallizing on Black as he heard his comms cut off. His HUD tinged red, already in distress at the sudden onset of cold. He grit his teeth as they broke through the clouds, the winds growing even more insistent and merciless. It took all of his strength just to keep Black on course.

“Come on, just a bit more.” Shiro muttered. Black was going to shut down, he expected as much. His cockpit had gotten substantially colder, and he could see puffs of gas emanate each exhale. But he could see it. The obvious spot in the vast blanket of snow where the Blue Lion had fallen. He just needed to land near there.

Call it a stroke of luck, but Black managed to tumble to the ground a few feet away before its lights dimmed. The landing could've been way worse, given Black's condition. Shiro released the breath he'd been holding, relaxing the tension in his shoulders. It was already cold in here with his armor, and he could only imagine how bad it was outside. The winds were strong, howling and rocking his Lion with each blast.

He pushed himself out of his seat, heading for another manual exit since Black wouldn't be able to open its mouth. The hatch was practically frozen shut, and Shiro had to give it a few shoves before it opened. The blast of cold almost paralyzed him from the force, and Shiro felt his mind go numb with shock for a few seconds.

He shouldn't be out here too long. It was obvious the insulation his armor might have wouldn't last at all if he stayed in these temperatures. He squinted his eyes, spotting the Blue Lion past the flecks of snow. It had only been a few minutes, but snow was already piling up around its form. Shiro sprinted for it, ignoring the ice building up around his helmet. As long as he could see, it was fine.

But by the time he reached Blue, his vision had almost completely blurred with the ice that encased his visor. Blue had fallen on her side, her mouth still slightly ajar. Shiro felt his stomach sink. It would be even colder inside Blue with wind openly entering. But it also let him get inside, and he climbed in amidst the slippery steps.

Lance wasn't in the pilot seat, instead curled up in a far corner, head buried in his arms. Shiro ran over, dropping to the ground and grabbing at his shoulders.

“Lance. Lance!” Shiro could barely see through his helmet at this point, and he tore it off in frustration. A brand new gust of wind greeted him, painfully strong. Probably not a good idea, but he wanted to see Lance clearly. “It's me, Shiro.”

Lance had barely reacted, only lifting his head once Shiro shook him a bit harder. His eyes were glazed, almost blank. “S-Shiro?”

Shiro nodded, frantic. “It's me. The others are gonna come get us soon.”

“W-where are...”

“Blue got caught in ice and fell onto the planet. Did you crash? Are you injured?” Shiro tried to scan for injuries, but Lance had his armor on and Shiro's eyes were stinging from the winds. He didn't see any blood, though.

Lance blinked, dazed. “Crashed? I-I dunno, 'm cold...”

Shiro gave a tight smile even while the dread settled in his stomach. Injured or not, the cold already had Lance in bad condition. He couldn't stay like this for too long. How much time had passed? Pidge had mentioned 15 dobashes for the storm.

“I'm going to try and find a blanket from the emergency kit. I'll be back.”

Shiro pushed himself to his feet, a full shudder passing through him when another blast of wind hit. Walking itself was a challenge at this point. He stumbled towards another part of the cockpit, fighting to pry open a compartment that revealed bandages, a knife, and some other first-aid supplies. When he spotted a small folded blanket, he couldn't grab it fast enough. It was only one, but they'd have to make do.

He made his way back to Lance, his legs frozen and aching. At this rate, he wasn't going long either. He all but collapsed on his knees next to Lance, who was slumped against the wall, arms loose around his legs. He was trembling violently, and Shiro worked fast to unfold the blanket and wrap it around Lance's shoulders.

Lance's eyes flickered a bit in recognition once Shiro wrapped even more of the blanket around Lance's torso and legs, an attempt at a blanket burrito. The blanket wasn't all that thick, but it should be enough to contain some heat for a while. Shiro tried to tuck as much of the blanket around Lance as he could before settling against the wall and pulling Lance—bundled and all—against his chest.

Lance moved then, weak but insistent. He wriggled against Shiro's arms, trying to break free. “S-Shiro, no. You s-should—“

“I'm fine,” Shiro grit out, maneuvering himself so that Lance's legs perched off the side of one of Shiro's own. He moved a hand onto Lance's head and pushed it closer against the blankets. “You're in worse shape, kiddo.”

Lance didn't listen, straining to fight back even if he had almost no energy left. “You're m-more important. T-take it.”

Shiro hugged Lance closer, ignoring the small pain in his chest that wasn't from the cold at all. “D-don't you dare say that. We're both gettin' out of this.”

Lance grew silent, his movements getting weaker until they stopped altogether. The only thing that kept Shiro from freaking out was that he could still feel Lance shivering under the blankets, proof that he was alive.

What felt like an eternity passed by, and by that point, Shiro couldn't tell who was shivering more, him or Lance. His body felt so numb, and he ducked his head down against the top of Lance's head. He couldn't even think at that point, his mind feeling like it froze over. Drowsiness threatened to fall over his eyes, and Shiro fought to stay awake. Falling asleep was the worst possible option right now.

Shiro tried to squeeze at Lance's shoulder, although he wasn't sure if any strength went into it. “L-Lance... Stay awake, 'kay?”

Lance moved just marginally, and Shiro heard a small whimper escape the blankets.

It sucked that he couldn't even make things better, even with the blanket. He huffed out another breath, eyes barely open at this point. God, he was so cold and tired. He kept his other hand on Lance's head, trying his best to at least contain the fleeting body warmth he might have left in the blankets.

“H-hang in there.. They're comin'...”

And they did. It could have been seconds after he said those words, or even minutes. Shiro couldn't tell. But when he heard Hunk's voice calling in from outside Blue, he barely had the energy to respond. It was like his tongue had frozen completely. He struggled to lift his head, blinking blearily as he caught Hunk stumble inside, take one look at them, and start yelling into the comms. Oh right, he took off his helmet. The comms must have been restored when the storm died down.

Hunk was suddenly in front, panicked and fearful. “Oh God, okay. We're gonna get you guys out of here and back to the Castle. You don't have to move, we'll carry both Lions back.” He glanced down. “Is Lance there?”

Shiro nodded, or at least tried to. “H-Hunk..”

Hunk held up a hand, already getting to his feet. “Don't talk, save your energy. I'm gonna get you a blanket and then we'll take off.”

Shiro didn't remember much of what happened next, except that the rewarming process had _sucked_. All he could feel was pain. Keith and the others floated into his consciousness once in a while, and he wanted to ask about Lance, but the words wouldn't come. When sleep came this time, he let it.

He woke up in his room, covered in an excessive amount of blankets. He never thought he'd feel warm again, but here he was, sweating and fully awake. He tried to move his fingers and arms, glad he could actually feel them again.

“Shiro!” Keith's voice, and he loomed over from the bedside, face tight with worry. “Are you okay? Still cold?”

“I'm fine.” Shiro said with a grin. Keith relaxed, but just minutely. “Where's Lance?”

“He's in his room with Pidge and Hunk. He woke up not too long ago. Was asking about you, too.”

Shiro pushed himself into a sitting position, heaving off the blankets. “Can I go see him?”

“Of course.” Keith held out a hand, helping Shiro up. The sensation sent the blood rushing to his head, and Shiro almost tipped over had Keith not gripped his arm. “Don't push it, you almost froze to death.”

Shiro nodded, taking a few breaths before walking. It didn't take long to get used to moving his legs again, and they made their way out into the hallway with no problem. Keith still kept a hand on his arm, just in case.

“Turns out the Galra signal on that planet came from an old deserted drone.” Keith explained as they walked. “It must have gotten caught in one of the storms like the Blue Lion did. Allura's moving the Castle somewhere else. Said we shouldn't have to worry about that planet anymore. There's nothing important there.”

They reached Lance's door, knocking once before they went inside. Lance was still sitting in bed, chatting with Pidge and Hunk, who were perched on the edge of the mattress. Lance lit up when he spotted Shiro, watching him with animated concern.

“Shiro! Are you okay?” Lance looked guiltier than he should be, and Shiro didn't like it.

“I'm fine. I should be asking you that, you know.”

Lance laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “I'm good, thanks to you. Anyways, I know we've been emphasizing team bonding to help with Voltron and all, but I don't think us almost turning into human popsicles is the best route.”

Shiro felt a small smile touch his face, crossing the room with Keith to sit on the bed as well. He'd probably still need to talk with Lance alone later and make sure he was really alright. That earlier conversation with Lance trying to belittle his importance on the team still bugged him. He would need to fix that.

But for now, they'd rest and recover.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry i don't reply to comments often, i do read them (and appreciate them so much) whenever i log on! thank you to everyone who reads :')
> 
> i'll probably be more responsive on [tumblr](https://yuki-setsu.tumblr.com/), so feel free to visit me there ^^


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